Mobile communication devices, such as personal desktop assistants, contemporary mobile telephones, hand-held computers, tablet personal computers, laptop personal computers, wearable computers and the like are becoming popular user tools. In general they have become small enough to be extremely convenient, while consuming less battery power, and at the same time have become capable of running more powerful applications. Such communication devices are often used to keep a user updated with current information by notifying the user of incoming messages. Such messages include audio messages such as telephone calls or voicemail, and textual messages such as e-mail, SMS messages, and instant messages.
Currently, mobile devices notify users generally equally for new email, new SMS messages, new calls, and new voicemail messages with visual and audio cues. Users have the option to give special ring tones to help them distinguish a known caller from an unknown caller or to give different ring tones to particular individuals. However, the ability to manage and limit a user's availability still requires user attention and effort. For example, mobile device users often manage their availability to others by glancing at caller ID to see if they should stop what they are doing to answer an incoming call.